Thornrose
by quantumsentience
Summary: Lissa's biggest secret is that she's always had a crush on Rose, and she's certain there's no way that Rose could reciprocate...Or is there? A sweet, yet angsty Dragoway story taking place after the two ran away from the academy and share a college dorm, much to Lissa's dismay.
1. Sleepover

My phone buzzed beside me. A message from Rose. I felt myself sighing as looked around my room and sat up on my bed, crumpling one of my chem notes in the process.

**Rose :** frathouse party 2nite. we goin?

**Lissa:** Thought today was study night?

**Rose :** but free booze! cmon just us 2

**Lissa :** I don't know Rose

**Rose :** plz?

**Rose :** 4 me?

**Rose :** its gonna be fun!.

**Lissa :** Okay okay fine

**Rose :** ur the best! love u liss !

She followed that by a heart emoji. She was _really_ excited about that particular party then.

I laid back on the bed, crumpling the scattered papers again, and closed my eyes. I felt another sigh escape my lips. Damn. It was really bad today.

It didn't hit me this hard everyday. Some days were better than others. Sometimes, only sometimes, I could almost forget I even loved her.

You'd think at this point I'd be used to it. And truth is, I almost was. But it was nights like these that made it all that hard.

A notebook was stabbing me on the back with its corner so I sat up, closing my laptop, and tidied up the papers and textbooks from my bed, setting them on a neat pile at my desk, glad I was almost done with the assignment anyway.

I looked at Rose's side of the dorm, at the desk that was more of a vanity where she set all her makeup and accessories on, her unmade bed... I could even see school books peeking up from under her bed, under a decent pile of dust. That's so like Rose.

I guess next to her, I seemed like a bit of a control freak.

* * *

I heard her steps with my keen moroi hearing before she even turned the handle, glad my uselessly subtle powers came in handy for once, and rushed to sit cross legged on my bed, as casually as I could.

"Liss! I'm so glad you decided to come. Tonight's going to be great, trust me" she said with a smile, her voice bubbling up with excitement

As always whenever I saw her, her sheer beauty just hit me. She was wearing skinny jeans, which highlighted every generous curve, paired with her cropped leather jacket over a low cut tank top, which showed just the slightest bit of cleavage. Her long hair with its perfect waves was draped over her shoulders, highlighting her tan complexion. Rose's beauty was exotic, intriguing, mesmerizing...and even slightly intimidating most of the time. And today was no exception.

"Yeah." I tried faking a smile. She seemed genuinely pumped for this party. And knowing Rose, that couldn't mean anything good.

"So what's up tonight that's got you so excited?"

"I heard Jason was coming" she said, giving me a meaningful look. When I didn't react, she added "You know, just the hottest guy on campus? Plus, someone's sneaking in the good stuff'"

"The one from my trig class?" My voice sounded thick with disbelief, and Rose must have heard it, too, because she made an expression that got dangerously close to a pout.

"He's not your favorite person, I know, but what can I say? The man's got killer abs" she shrugged as she gave me a sheepish smile. She carelessly threw her bookbag on the bed, adding to the mess, though by the looks of it, it was mostly empty.

I tried very hard not to show my frustration, to keep my expression blank.

"I guess so"

"Okay, I'm taking a quick shower and then you can help me pick a dress. You already know what you're wearing?"

"Uhh, I guess whatever. Just this" I said without thinking as I gestured at what I was already wearing

"Liss you're telling me you're wearing your grey sweatpants with a hole on the knee and mismatched socks? One of which" she paused to inspect them closely" has little ducks on it"

Rose was looking at me with one eyebrow arched, looking like she was about to laugh. I guess it _was_ a little silly, but I wasn't about to admit that.

"Hey! You picked these. You said you liked them" I felt heat rise to my face and looked away

"I do, I do." she said.

Rose seemed to be feeling a little bad for teasing me, as she sat down next to me, which didn't help one bit the steady blush that I could feel forming on my cheeks. Then she put an arm around my shoulder, and my heart started beating a mile an hour, but I knew she wouldn't notice a thing. She never did.

"Sorry Liss, I know you're only doing it for me"

"Besides, you were getting bored with all that studying anyway, weren't you?" she poked me in the stomach as she said it, her tone turning playful again. That made me chuckle.

"I guess I was"

"The bond, remember?" she paused to look at me "I know everything"

Her voice was only a whisper when she said that last part, and something about the way she said it made panic rise up in my stomach.

But the moment passed quickly and she got up.

"Anyway we're going, and you" she pointed a finger at me before saying "are going to have fun, whether you like it or not"

"Okay, whatever. Just go shower. You stink" I threw a pillow at her

"I do not!" she said in mock outragement

In response, I just smiled at her, as she left for the bathroom and closed the door.

My smile faded and disappeared once she was gone. Talking to Rose always seemed to wear me out somehow.

I studied my attire in the mirror, and saw that I looked like a hobbit with my messy bun and sweatpants. I really looked like an ugly duckling in comparison to Rose. I mean, she looked like a freaking supermodel.

* * *

I was back in the same spot I'd been in when she came back, only I'd opened my laptop to continue writing the essay.

Rose had left the door open, and the smell of shampoo and soap, and even the expensive perfume she almost never wore flooded the room. But mostly, underneath all that, _her_ smell was flooding the room. Moroi's sense of smell wasn't as good as the Strigoi, but it was still a thousand times more powerful than a human's, or even a dhampir's.

I realized I was hungrier than I thought, and couldn't even remember the last time I'd fed.

It was hard enough already but Rose came closer to me, her damp hair spreading out like a fan behind her back, dark in contrast with the pale pink towel she was wearing. Which, might I add, to make matters worse, was the _only_ thing she was wearing. Damn it.

"So, I was thinking maybe, like, the sexy one with the crisscrossing straps? Where is it…" she said as she rummaged through our shared closet. "Here. This one"

She turned around to face me, holding a scanty dress the colour of fresh blood. She really wasn't helping.

"Liss? You okay" She said as she threw the dress on her bed, concern etched on her face, before uttering a curse under her breath. I could feel my head turning with the vampire's equivalent of low blood sugar, and I was getting weaker by the second.

"Don't worry. I'm fine" I said, my voice coming out weaker than I intended

"How long has it been since we did a feeding?" I vaguely saw her walk over to me, getting closer

"Please" my breathing was shallow and speaking was hard "Just…give me a second"

Rose ignored my protests and sat next to me, placing my head on her lap as she brushed the hair out of my eyes. She hovered over me with the same expression of concern she had before, only stronger, fiercer. Droplets of water fell from her damp hair and landed on my face and neck. This was torture. I didn't want to feed from her, especially not today when she was this excited about a party. About a guy. Only I did, I so desperately did. A small part of me was even glad that she seemed to have forgotten all about that stupid Jason and was focusing entirely on me. An even darker, greedier part even wished the feeding would make her too weak to even attend.

She was humming a soft melody I didn't recognize under her breath as she combed my hair, and she helped me sit up, shifting to make my head rest on the hollow of her shoulder. I could feel her veins throbbing with fresh, warm blood, and the smell of her neck was intoxicating.

"Go on, Liss. Sorry, should've done it sooner" Rose said, and her voice sounded guilty. She was still combing my hair with her fingers, encouraging me to feed, which was the one thing I wanted to do the most.

I felt disgusted with myself for wanting her so bad, not only her blood, but all of her. I wanted with a possessive passion to have all of Rose, and it was making me selfish, it was making me so _evil_. I wanted her to care only for me, to think only of me, to want only me. I felt the back of my eyes tingling with tears that I desperately held back.

I noticed Rose's heartbeat was getting faster, her blood rushing through her veins, with what might have been fear. _Oh no, Rose..._

I tried to push her away, to stop this madness before it even began, but I felt her arms close around me fiercely as she held me close, positioning my head at the perfect spot on her neck where a faint mark could be seen.

"Please" she whispered with what sounded dangerously like excitement, like desire.

I felt all my resolve slip as I moved to sink my fangs into her neck, grabbing her by the shoulders and pressing her closer to me. Sweet, rich and delicious liquid flooded into my mouth as a soft moan escaped from her lips. Rose didn't want me, I knew that. I had probably made her addicted to my vampire bite, like any other vampire could have done if they fed from her as often as I did. It didn't have anything to do with me, but I didn't care.

For me, it had everything to do with her. Feeding from a dhampir was an amazing experience on its own, and it never grew old, but feeding from Rose...that was the most perfect high I could ever hope to get. Her blood was like nothing I'd ever tasted, it was like pure happiness, and that probably had a lot to do with the unshakeable attraction I had towards her.

And stopping was always the hardest part. Rose was clinging to me as I fed, and the smell of her hair was overwhelming my senses. I tried hard to find any remaining resolve and restraint in me to stop, and ended up having to guilt-trip myself into stopping. I was lucky the guilt I felt was so big, it actually managed to make me retreat my fangs from her throat.

"Hmm" she made another noise like a moan "Don't" as she opened her eyes, almost sleepily, to try and get me to stay. I couldn't stop myself from licking the stray droplet of blood that was travelling down her bare neck.

"Just a little more" she gave me a sexy smile as she closed her arms around me as hard as she could, which admittedly wasn't very hard. Geez Rose, you really aren't making this any easier.

"You're so high, you're slurring your words" I gently pulled her arms away as she let herself fall on my bed and struggled to keep her eyes open. Rose looked weak as a leaf, but I felt stronger than ever, like I could run miles without stopping, I felt invincible. Id est, I took way too much.

"Am not" her towel was slipping down, exposing more of her generous cleavage.

I looked away, the guilt becoming too much, and covered her with the frayed blanket that laid draped on the side of my bed, before practically running out of the room.

"You're leaving?" I heard Rose shout out after me when I reached the door, and I wouldn't have stopped to answer if I hadn't heard a hint of panic in her voice

"I'm just getting you something to eat, I'll be back in a second" I gave her my best attempt at a reassuring smile, and she seemed reassured enough because she sank back into the bed and closed her eyes.

* * *

I was mortified as I made my way to the vending machine down the hall. Not only had I fed from Rose on a day like this, but I had barely even been able to stop. It was becoming clearer every second that I didn't deserve even a fraction of the pure love and devotion Rose always gave me. She was always protecting me, fiercer than any guardian, and she wasn't even an official one yet. I felt evil, like I'd taken advantage of her. She only thought about helping out a friend in need, but it had been more for me. So much more. I felt tears threatening to spill from my eyes.

"Are you okay?" A brown haired human girl who was putting coins in the vending machine asked with what looked like genuine concern.

As she said it, I remembered that in my frenzy to leave, I hadn't brought any money for the machine. I wiped an escaped tear from my cheek.

I started to gather the power of compulsion to use on her, but it didn't even seem necessary, because she looked like she was ready to help out in any way possible.

I glanced in the direction of the machine, and she got the hint and said

"Can I get you anything?" with a warm smile

"Thank you. I haven't eaten today" I felt even worse for taking advantage of this girl I just met. My voice came out shakily, and that wasn't faked.

"Sure" she rummaged through her backpack, found a couple of crumpled bills and held them up smugly for me to see, before pausing and pointing to my mouth

"Is that...blood?"

I hastily wiped my mouth with my sleeve as a wave of panic came over me. I couldn't believe I'd rushed out of the room so fast I still had Rose's blood around my lips. I fumbled for a decent excuse, and ended up settling for a pretty lame one.

"I bit my lip"

The girl just casually nodded.

She got me two chocolate bars and a soda, and promptly turned away to leave.

"Wait" I tried to steady my voice "There's a, ehm, party tonight. Will you be there?"

"Depends, will you be goin'?"

Surprise must have registered plainly on my face, because she chuckled softly. Wow, this girl was going strong, I had to give it to her. I also noticed a slight southern accent peeking through as she spoke which, paired with the mischievous smile she was giving me, was actually rather cute.

"I'll see you there" She said before I had the chance to respond, giving me a meaningful wink before turning away to leave without hearing my answer.

* * *

Back at our dorm, Rose was already looking much better than when I left her, and seemed genuinely glad to see me. A pang of guilt settled on my stomach, and now that the blood high was wearing off, I began to feel even worse...If that was even possible at this point.

"You're back" she said. She was sitting on the edge of my bed, and had slipped on the red dress from earlier, which, needless to say looked phenomenal on her, even when she was still so pale.

"I come bearing gifts" I said as I held up the bars and the can of soda I'd practically extorted out of the girl, with what I hoped was a casual smile.

She ate both chocolate bars and drained the soda in about three gulps before saying

"Damn. That was good"

"Sorry it's just the regular kind from the vending machine"

"The best kind" she simply said

* * *

After that, Rose finished getting ready rather cheerfully until she looked as close to perfection as a human being, or I guess in this case a dhampir, could ever hope to get, now seemingly completely recovered from earlier's complete disaster. The dress left little to the imagination, hugging her body in all the right ways, which I was somehow both loving and hating at the same time. She'd wrapped a thin choker around her neck to cover most of the damage I'd done, and was wearing her hair down, styled slightly wavy. On her lips was her favorite lipgloss, a soft shade she claimed made her lips look extra kissable. And I could _definitely_ attest to that.

"Wear the one I got you" she said as she showed me the pale jade shift she'd gotten for me one time. "It brings out your eyes" she added with a smile.

"Maybe" I tried to dodge the situation "But I feel more like wearing the black one"

It was extremely silly, and completely unrealistic, but when Rose had first given me the dress, my mind had immediately gone in a completely different direction. For some stupidly naive reason, part of me had thought that she was about to ask me out on a date. There was just something about the way she gave it to me that day, the way she said it, so formal, almost shyly somehow, that had me hoping so hard that things would finally go in that direction. Of course, they hadn't, and Rose hadn't mentioned that dress at all before now. Now every time I looked at it I remembered that stupid hope, and the disappointment that ensued.

Rose seemed a bit disappointed with me, but like she was trying not to show it, as she said

"Oh, sure. That one's cute on you"

But as she said that, I felt an inexplicable surge of anger towards her. For leading me on, for always being so damn nice to me when all she really cared about were boys and parties and when she had absolutely no intention of ever seeing me in a different way. I grabbed the dress from the closet and rushed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me harder than I'd intended.

When Rose came to me one night and told me we were running away from the Academy, just the two of us, that very night, I thought things were finally going to be different. I felt more hopeful and more excited than I had ever felt in my life. It didn't even matter that I thought I was losing it and that something was trying to hurt me in there, because now it was finally going to be just the two of us. Running away felt dangerous and forbidden and it felt all the more exciting because I was doing it with her.

I looked in the mirror at my homely looking reflection and shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. The dress I'd taken was made out of a light material and it was black with small white polka dots all over. It was a pretty casual dress, and even had pockets, actually.

I slipped it on before I brushed my hair and straightened it hastily, adding a light coat of mascara to my eyes and putting some chapstick on. I looked...decent, I guess. Not that it really mattered since the girl of my dreams was going to be too busy making out with some guy to notice.

* * *

When I came out, Rose was waiting for me on the edge of my bed, looking concerned. Again, I felt bad for lashing out at her when, really, none of this was her fault and I was simply being selfish. I only had myself to blame for all this mess.

"Do my makeup?" she said tentatively, in a clear attempt to patch things up

"You bet" I said, thankful for the much needed nudge

Rose got up excitedly and I sat down where she had been before, as she rummaged through her vanity to find the products she needed.

"So I thought that cool smokey eye you do?" she said as she passed me her Dark Chocolate palette from Too Faced

"Yeah, that looks great on you" I said, as I opened it and searched for the brush, noticing she had already done her foundation, and was even wearing a glittering highlighter and bronzer. Even on her body, I noticed small specks of gold glitter shone as the light hit them, making her look that much more heavenly. I remembered she bought a shimmery lotion once, which I didn't fail to make fun of, but this was actually the first time I'd ever seen it on her. And of course, she was right. It was sexy. Using that word felt a bit weird to me, but I couldn't describe the way she looked any other way. I can't imagine what it would feel like to know that she did it for _you_, that she dressed up so nice, making herself look even more amazing than she already was...That Jason guy was a lucky bastard, and he probably had no idea.

"I bet Jason won't be able to resist you now" I said with all the light heartedness I could muster, once I was done. Though I will admit I was a little proud of my makeup skills. Rose had gone from looking like the hottest Victoria Secret model you have ever seen to...a literal goddess.

"I know, right? You're amazing at this" she said as she admired my work, shifting her face in front of the mirror to observe both sides

"It's all you" I simply answered. And it was true.

* * *

**A/N :** Thank you so much for reading!

Dragoway is one of my favorite pairings to read about/imagine. I mean, even the canon has so many cute scenes!

I would love to make this into a bit of a longer fic so please let me know if you enjoyed it. I already have about 5 chapters that I'm trying to finish editing so I'll probably be updating sort of soon (fingers crossed).

As you might have seen, I did add Brooke as an OC, and she will be featured in the next chapters so if you liked her, fear not because she'll be part of the story. Oh, and yes that chapter title is indeed a reference to Hayley Kiyoko (aka Lesbian Jesus) because I thought the song fit so well with the chapter and all of Lissa's angst.


	2. Bad Idea

"You're excited for the party." Rose noted.

I guess with the bond, little happened without her noticing. Except for my obvious predicament, of course.

"What changed your mind?" she asked nonchalantly on our way to the frat house.

Apparently it was the frat leader's birthday soon and the fraternity was throwing a huge party for him, it was a wonder I hadn't heard about it any sooner than today. Though it wasn't surprising to see that the people in my classes clearly ran with a slightly different crowd than Rose's.

"I guess I am, a little" I paused to step over a puddle on the concrete "It's been a while since we had fun like this" I said, and I was surprised to realize I wasn't entirely lying.

"You were probably feeling faint, even before. Remind me to never let you go without a feed for that long again." Rose said "It's not good for you" she added in a more serious tone

"M'kay" I simply said

The surrounding area was buzzing with people, and many discarded red plastic cups were already scattered on the front lawn.

Rose held my hand as we went through the main doors, which were wide open. Inside, a sea of people packed close together were dancing and shouting over the music, some already so drunk they'd probably already completely lost sight of the party. I felt Rose light up with excitement at the sight of a rowdy crowd, which wasn't surprising. She had always thrived in busy environments, charming everyone around her with her quick wits and outgoing personality. Of course, I could already see the effect she was having on the guys, who were stumbling over themselves to get her attention. No surprises there. And like always, she pretended to care about everything they were saying, even though I knew she only had a mild interest in any of them at best. But tonight, there was someone she wanted.

Rose turned towards me and whispered in my ear

"I'm going to find Jase, are you gonna be okay?"

I didn't even know what emotion to feel anymore. It wasn't surprise, it wasn't disappointment, just the knowledge that I had no right to feel jealous, that I had no say in her love life and that I never would have. Somehow, that was the last straw for me, and I found myself nodding numbly towards her, as she flashed me a quick smile before disappearing into the crowd, browsing the guys with a purpose.

I simply stood there, staring into nothingness for a good few seconds before I saw a familiar head of medium brown hair a feet away, and without knowing what came over me, I headed straight towards her.

The girl I met earlier was talking somewhat excitedly to another girl with a pink streak on her hair. I tapped her on the shoulder

"Hey! You made it" she seemed pleasantly surprised to see me

"Hi" I found myself saying

"This is my friend" the brown haired girl gestured towards the other girl, introducing her, but I didn't catch the other's name, nor did I care

I smiled at the first girl and wrapped my arms around her to give her a hug. I felt her chuckle with surprise, but it was of the pleasant kind.

"Can we go upstairs?" I whispered to her

"Sure" she said, once I let go of her "Kylie, we're going to get some fresh air, is that okay?"

"Yeah, I guess..." the other girl, whose name was apparently Kylie said, seemingly puzzled. So I'd ruined her flirting session. Whatever.

I held the first girl's hand as she led me towards the stairs but I made a pause in front of the booze table.

"Wait, let me get something for us" I told the girl, as I circled around a couple who was passionately making out in front of the table.

I was going to grab two plastic cups, but at the last minute I went for the bottle of whiskey that sat behind them, which someone had presumably forgotten to put away, instead.

"Jackpot" I said to the girl, holding the bottle up for her to see. She gave me an inquisitive look but decided to go with it.

* * *

Once upstairs, I found an empty room and closed the door behind us. I went to sit on the bed and the girl followed me, still a little tentatively.

I took a big gulp of the bottle, feeling the warm liquid go down my throat, which felt not unlike it had earlier with Rose. I passed her the bottle and she took an equally big swig.

We looked at each other for a few seconds before I finally threw caution to the wind and kissed her parted lips, not without a certain frenzy. She responded quickly and while I felt rather clumsy after having only kissed Aaron a few times, she seemed to know her way around perfectly, so I got the feeling that she did this a lot.

Which I asked her, after we stopped kissing. She chuckled.

"Let's say it's not uncommon" she said as she took another swig of the whiskey.

Kissing her felt no different than it had felt with Aaron, though it was certainly a bit softer and, I was surprised to find myself thinking, more pleasant. I'd imagine that it wasn't nearly as good as kissing Rose would be, but it certainly was far from unpleasant.

I had always thought of myself as straight and had never really questioned it before meeting Rose. But of course, she had come into my life and thrown everything out the window. From the start, it had been obvious that I was attracted to her, and very much so. But now, I had to start wondering if I had ever even liked guys in the first place. Last year, I'd dated Aaron partly because he seemed extremely into me and partly because I thought it might distract me from Rose. But it didn't really. I didn't like admitting it, but there was always a tiny part of me that hoped it might make her at least a tiny bit jealous. Needless to say that had never happened. We had kissed and even had sex once, but it had never really been an out of this world experience, far from it. When I realized that just holding her hand could make me feel so much more intensely than sleeping with him ever could, I'd finally gone and broken it off. And the whole experience had inevitably made me slightly curious about women, even women other than Rose, but it wasn't until now that I'd had the opportunity to experiment around that.

"It is for me" I found myself saying after a while

"Got the feeling it was. Trying it out?" she asked me

"I guess you could say that" that made me chuckle for some reason "though what's the point, right?"

The expression she made made me laugh even harder "What do you mean?" she asked

"She won't love me either way, will she?" Something about this whole conversation seemed hilarious to me, though I noticed my eyes were stinging with tears

"Oh." the girl didn't seem to know what to say, and I realized maybe it wasn't so funny after all. I didn't like the feeling of that so I took the bottle from her hands and took a couple of big swigs, which seemed to help.

"C'me here" she said as she took the bottle away and pulled me into the bed, wrapping her arms around me.

It felt nice, being the little spoon, just like I always was with Rose.

"It's alright" her voice was soft against my ear when she said that

But then it occurred to me that I still didn't know her name. So I asked her that. That made her chuckle.

"So you kiss a girl and don't even know her name, huh? It's Brook"

Brook. That's a pretty name. A pretty name for a pretty girl.

"Do you know mine?" I heard myself ask, and my voice sounded weird

"Of course. Lissa. Everyone knows that"

I turned around and kissed her, and the nice feelings washed over me again. I felt her tuck a stray piece of hair behind my ear, and the gesture was soft and kind. It was nicer than I thought it'd be, nicer than the first time. Only different. Stronger. I put my hand on her waist, trailing down to her hip, finding the edge of her shirt. She gave a surprised gasp but didn't stop kissing me so I touched the bare skin underneath her shirt, and it was warm. My hand went up and up until I felt her bra, and it felt nice against my fingers. Then she moved away and looked at me.

"Lisa, I can't. I mean, you're drunk" she paused, tentatively

"I'm not!" I said, momentarily outraged, and my voice sounded more childish than I'd intended.

I didn't want her to stop. It felt warm and good and I hadn't consciously thought about Rose in about half an hour. Considering the state of things, that had to be some kind of record.

"It helps me forget" I told her, and my voice sounded as pleading as I felt.

She pondered it for a second before nodding slowly and saying "Okay, but we won't do anything, okay? Just make out"

I nodded eagerly and got my lips back on hers. Her hand was travelling under the edge of my dress, caressing my thigh. She paused to say "Cute dress", which made me smile into the kiss.

Here in the dark, I could almost pretend I was kissing Rose.

I pushed her back onto the bed to get on top of her, kissing her neck and throat instead. That felt incredible. And she seemed very into it, too. I even grazed her neck with my fangs lightly, and she let out a moan, just like Rose always did, which only made me more excited. A part of me was thinking that maybe things were starting to get out of control, but I quickly chose to ignore that part.

The door opened with a bang and light and noise came pouring in, which made me notice we were almost in the dark this whole time. I paused only long enough to see a figure standing near the door, squinting my eyes at the brightness, before getting back to what I was doing, but Brook pushed me lightly.

"Lissa? What are you doing?" I recognized Rose's voice but didn't find within myself the will to care

"What does it look like?" I answered with a chuckle "Do you _mind_?"

I couldn't see her reaction very well because she was standing in the light, but she didn't seem too happy about it. Whatever, I guess. That's her problem.

"Lissa, I think we better call it a night" Brooke said, looking at Rose

"What? Why?" she arched a brow at me, which made me think of Rose "Rose was just leaving, wasn't she?" I gave her a meaningful look

She didn't even deign that with an answer. She was starting to seriously piss me off.

I saw Brooke looking at both of us, before nodding slowly, like she had come to a realization, though I had no idea what it was. She got up and said "I think I better leave you guys alone. I'll see you around, Lisa" she added with a wink. That made me smile.

Once she was gone, Rose came in and closed the door. She seemed pretty pissed, for some reason.

"What the hell were you thinking?"

"Uhh, I don't know, something along the lines of 'hot girl wants to make out with me?'" I shifted through the covers searching for the booze "I thought you of all people would have understood" Even in the state I was in, that felt like a low thing to say, but I found I couldn't really control my mouth.

"I didn't even know you liked girls"

"You don't know a lot of things" I still had enough sense left in me to realize that was a stupid thing to say, a dangerous thing to say. I finally found the bottle, tangled in the sheets but I put it back where I found it instead. I think that's enough for tonight.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Already sobering up, I felt a steady blush spread over my cheeks, and it occurred to me this was just the kind of thing I might severely regret in the morning. I got up, a bit shakily, and decided not to answer.

"Lisa, the bond seemed weird. I look for you through the whole party, no one knows where you are, and I find you in here, totally drunk, making out with some girl you barely know." she sighed "I mean, give me some credit here, surprise isn't the weirdest reaction"

"Try outrage. Plus, you did tell me to have fun"

"I did. But that's more the kind of thing that I do, minus the female part." she added "That's not you, you don't even like parties"

This conversation was starting to give me a headache.

"I guess you're right. I don't really know what came over me"

"It's fine, just, next time, if you're going to randomly disappear, tell me, okay?" she looked concerned "and sorry for barging in on you and that girl"

I nodded "It's fine, I'm the one who's sorry."I paused before asking "so how was it with Jason?"

"He's a terrible kisser" she said with a chuckle

* * *

**A/N : **I'm back with a brand new chapter !

The content was maybe a bit surprising? The story did take a bit of a turn, all with Lissa going all good girl gone bad and making out with Brooke (I did say she was going to continue to make an appearance, though)

I hope it doesn't seem too, _t__oo_ random, and the scene helps amp up the tension in their relationship like I intended it. I think the next few chapters are going to be crucial, though, as Lissa's feelings bubble up to the point of overflowing...Let's just say I'm cooking up a _very_ juicy, dramatic scene between the two friends, that I just can't wait to share.

Also I realized a bit late that Rose and Lissa weren't actually in college when they ran out of St. Vladimir, but in highschool. But I actually think the college campus setting fits the mood of the story really well, with all the rowdy partying and drinking and whatnot. So maybe this could count as a bit of an AU?

I also wanted to thank my first reviewer ! FF doesn't let me answer but your review really warmed my heart when I read it. It's so nice to know you're enjoying it so far, and I hope this chapter was at least a bit entertaining. This is my first time writing a proper fic so the encouragement was very much welcome!

I think most of the chapter titles are probably going to come from songs that have some sort of relevance to the story, because I think it's kind of cool. Needless to say this is one is from girl in red.

I'll be posting the next one soon (when I'm done with the editing), which might feature a bit more of Rose...


	3. Alone Without You

The next day, I had the most wicked headache humankind has ever experienced. Or moroikind, i guess. Though that's probably not true. Rose was being very understanding and brought me coffee in the morning, without poking too much fun at my poor state, even going as far as throwing in a chip choc muffin. She didn't even mention what happened last night, none of it, and for that I was grateful.

She did ask one meaningful question about the whole thing, however. It was the next day, and we were hanging around the cafeteria. She was eating a cheeseburger and since she didn't like them, I was eating her portion of fries, when she got serious and asked me.

"Liss? So about the party..." I raised my eyebrows at her as I started sipping on my drink, wishing I could do that cool one eyebrow thing Rose did.

"When I got there, you were, uhh, it looked like…" she seemed to be waiting for me to complete the sentence, but I really didn't feel like doing that.

Instead, I watched her search for the right words, not without a tiny dose of petty satisfaction. Rose always was the one in control, she was always the strong one, so watching her be at a loss for words was certainly a rare sight.

What she said next, though, took all satisfaction I might have felt away for me, like a cold slap

"Listen, I know you had just fed but, were you about to bite that girl?"

I froze completely for a second. I'd been trying not to think too deeply into that, writing it off as a momentary lapse of judgement, thinking Rose hadn't noticed it. But she had.

"Rose!" I exclaimed, playing it off like that was the most outrageous thing I had ever heard. "I was just, you know, kissing her neck"

"Okay. That's good to hear" she sighed with what looked like actual relief

If I thought her outburst at the party was jealousy, it was clear now that that wasn't the case. Another surge of disappointment flooded me, surprising me. Funny, I didn't even know I was still capable of that.

* * *

The next time I saw Brooke was in algebra III. I found out she sat a few seats away from me and had done so for a long time, I just had never noticed her. Not that she wasn't nice to look at. She was almost as tall as Rose and had chocolate-y brown hair, a cool style and even wore winged eyeliner.

"You got it rough, huh?" she said when she saw me

"What does that mean?"

"I mean that tall girl from the party. Rose, isn't it?" she gave a low whistle

She seemed to be poking slight fun at my misery, but not maliciously, so I just sighed and sat on the chair next to her.

"I've known her for years, she's practically my sister" my voice was dripping heavy with despair

Brooke shook her head and gave me a clap on the shoulder as only answer, which I took as a sign of commiseration.

* * *

A few days later we were in our dorm, Rose was laying on her bed, on her phone, seemingly occupied, but I knew her well enough to tell when she was bored. I was trying not to pay attention to her, as I attempted to read but kept going through the same line over and over again.

Just her proximity was making me anxious and twitchy.

"Are you hungry?" Rose finally broke the silence.

"Yeah, guess we could order something" I said, closing my book

She didn't answer "Chinese?" I asked while I searched for my phone

"I don't mean it like that" Rose said quietly

"What...Oh"

I felt very nervous all of a sudden. Surely she didn't mean...Then I saw her expression and, of course that's what she meant.

On one side, I'd made the conscious, yet tacite decision to distance myself as much as I could from Rose which, admittedly, wasn't going all that well. But I genuinely felt like I was making some kind of progress over the last few days. Everyday I felt a bit less like a sad reject and more like a normal person. I also couldn't let anything like what happened the other night happen again. Losing control like that was...just unforgivable.

But on the other side, I _was_ getting rather hungry, even if my last feed had only been a couple of days ago. I could feel it, and I could feel my careful resolve slipping as I looked at Rose.

I couldn't tell exactly what she was thinking, aside from the obvious feelings of wanting to protect me, which were written plainly on her face at all times, this one notwithstanding.

"Liss, you gotta feed, you know that" she got up with a sigh and came to sit next to me.

A déjà vu of a hundred other feedings exactly like this one crossed my mind. Back at the Academy, the issue was solved with a simple, arguably pleasant trip to the feeders, so I had never given that much thought to my Moroi needs before.

But now, I was overly conscious of the amount of blood I needed, and had come to both dread and anticipate each time Rose would ask.

She was looking at me expectantly, and I couldn't help but think that something was different about tonight, about the way she asked it, about the way she looked at me. It wasn't the first time I'd gotten a false impression, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. After every single time, every one of them, it was clear that Rose could never see me as anything else than a friend. Hope needed to go.

To make matters worse, Rose was wearing comfy pajama shorts and a tank top, yet somehow managed to make the ensemble look incredibly sexy. This woman was really torturing me. Her hair smelled like jasmine, her favorite shampoo, which only helped add to her whole intoxicating allure.

"Okay, thanks." I hoped she didn't notice the unsteadiness of my voice "I was feeling a little hungry" I said as I carefully brushed the hair away from her neck, my fingers shaking

"I know" her voice sounded playful, her eyes already closed

I sank my fangs into her neck, a bit more forcibly than I'd intended and she winced. Her blood flooded into my mouth, soft like silk, and warm, so warm. Just like Rose. She was making moaning sounds again. All I could feel was the taste of her, her soft skin against my lips, and she was simply exquisite. I never wanted this moment to stop but I knew if I was ever going to get over her, it had to. By some divine intervention I somehow managed to stop a bit earlier than last time, and she seemed almost disappointed, which wasn't at all surprising. The endorphins in a vampire's bite were more addictive than even heroin, they made you insanely euphoric. For the thousandth time, I reminded myself that her eagerness for the bite was merely a chemical reaction she had no control over, which had nothing to do with me personally.

She laid back on my bed, her lips still rosy, not pale like last time. I wiped my mouth on the back of my hand before heading to the bathroom for some tissues to wipe the remaining blood off from her neck. With the more frequent bites, her neck was starting to look like a roadmap, like a cluster of red and pink constellations, and the sight of it gave me a dark satisfaction. If we were dating, I probably could leave a trail of hickeys and kisses as I pleased, but of course that wasn't the case. Even just imagining a makeout session with Rose, me wrapping my arms around her hourglass waist, or burying my hands in her hair as we kissed...was surreal. I couldn't even imagine what her kissing me back would feel like, her holding me close, telling me how much she loved me, wanted me...

Wow, I...somehow my mind had trailed off in all sorts of directions while I was looking at Rose. So I guess _this_ is what being completely and absolutely obsessed with someone felt like.

"Was it really enough?" Rose said, snapping me out of the daydream.

She looked ready to offer her neck again, she was expectant, even. Rose was looking at me, buried underneath my sheets, her flushed face and parted lips a perfect picture of seduction, her sexy bed hair spread across my pillow...she made me want to join her in bed right this instant, bite her again, and then just…

It then occurred to me that sometimes I hated Rose. Truly hated her. No matter how close we were, she was always so out of reach. I had to sleep in the same room as her, see her every single day, knowing it meant nothing to her, knowing she was completely oblivious to the effect she had on me. That she had no idea how crazy she drove me.

"Totally" I told her.

Truth was, I had never felt even more empty and more famished in my life.

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for reading!

Bit of a short and bittersweet chapter, I guess.

I'm glad you're still reading, faithful guest, and thank you for your comment.

To answer to RozamarieH : My first language is actually Spanish, so I was proud of myself for understanding most of your comment (and I asked Google the rest). I also had some issues with Lissa in the books, specially the newer ones, but I just always found the LissaxRose relationship to be a bit more intimate than a simple friendship which, paired with a bit of wishful thinking, is what made me want to write this fic. I'm glad you still liked it enough to give it a try, and hope you may enjoy the rest.

Definitely expect to see a lot more of Rose in the next chapter *insert suspenseful music*...


	4. All I Wanted

Something was up with Lissa, I could tell. It wasn't even the random lesbian makeout that had me worried, it was the look she had. She smiled and talked with me like usual, but the emotions through the bond were all messed up.

Even before that, when she was feeding the other day, she seemed strange. I was too high to notice it while she was drinking, but I could tell she wasn't okay afterwards.

I was looking at some gear sales on the internet for things like daggers and stun guns, to have just in case. It was a damn pity you couldn't buy silver stakes online, since they had to be enchanted with all four elements and all that. Now _that_ would be handy if a strigoi decided to pay us a visit. And would make me look damn cool when I staked the sucker's heart, too.

But then Lissa announced

"I'm going to Brooke's"

That girl from the party. Were they dating now, or something? Lissa hadn't mentioned her at all before that one time. I noticed she was wearing one of her nice blouses and had even bothered to put on some lip gloss. It was serious, then.

I looked at the time. It's kind of late, Liss... A human wouldn't be the greatest of companies if a Strigoi decided to attack, especially an untrained one. There was no way in hell I'd put Lissa at risk like that.

"Can I come with?"

It seemed stupid the second it came out of my mouth. She gave me a confused look and chuckled uncomfortably

"Well...it's not exactly a party for three"

Of course she didn't want to show up at her new girlfriend's apartment for a sexy makeout session with a bodyguard. Damn it.

"Text me, okay?" I felt in no way any more reassured, but decided I would secretly check up on her through the bond to make sure she was alright.

Lissa nodded before leaving and closing the door.

I just hoped I wouldn't have to sit through that girl's sloppy kisses again.

The public gym was empty, like every Saturday night. I figure most people, unlike me, usually had something better to do than repeatedly punch a bag in the hopes it might make them feel better. In my defense, despite turning me into a sweaty, tired mess, punching something a bunch of times always managed to put me in a better mood.

I couldn't understand what Lissa was thinking, and every day it felt like she got further away from me. You'd think that me being in her head 24/7 would make that impossible, but Lissa seemed bent on hiding whatever was going on from me.

The odds weren't great either. The last time she'd gotten all mysterious with me had ended with her self harming in secret, and she still had the scars to prove it.

I knew her recently figuring out her sexuality might be a part of it, but I'd never had a problem with that stuff, so it wouldn't make sense for her to distance herself from me because of it. It had to be something else.

I was surprised to find the dorm empty when I came back. Lissa hadn't told me she was going anywhere, though she was probably off somewhere making out with that girlfriend of hers. I knew it was petty, but I couldn't help feeling like that girl was trying to steal Lissa away from me.

I decided taking a steaming hot shower might help clear my thoughts. I couldn't be a bitch to her and throw a jealous fit every time she hung out with someone else. It's just that when I'd decided to run away with her for her own protection and hide in the human world, it really was supposed to be just the two of us. Lissa and I against the world, the way it had always been. I was her guardian, and I wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of my days protecting her with my life. So when it turns out that we barely even have a sorry excuse of a friendship anymore, it's no wonder I'd be pissed. And I was pissed alright. I didn't know what but I knew I had to do _something_.

When I saw Lissa coming home after a few hours, looking pale and tired, I knew exactly what I needed to do.

* * *

Rose was waiting for me when I came back to the dorm, which felt rather odd.

"You're feeding today?" was the first thing she said to me

Now _that_ was definitely odd. The last time had been only yesterday, albeit I had taken a bit less blood than usual. Normally we'd space up the feedings to about twice a week to prevent the bite marks from becoming too visible, but she didn't seem worried about that this time, for some reason.

I wasn't sure how to react. I knew she was mildly addicted to the thrill of the bite, and that was normal, but asking for it again after less than 24 hours? That just seemed extreme.

"Rose, it's fine, we did it just yesterday"

"Yesterday you barely took any" she said, accusingly

"I did, I swear" I assured her "I'm not even hungry"

That was kind of a lie, but Rose had no way of knowing that. The bond allowed her to sense some of my feelings, mainly tell if I was in immediate danger or not, but if her oblivion to my feelings towards her was any proof, it didn't work as a lie detector. I was always hungry around her lately, though it was probably of a different kind. Not the kind she could provide, anyway.

She seemed disappointed, which was definitely a bad sign. Bite addiction was a serious condition, the high so intense that it could get you hooked beyond repair and completely obliterate your life in the process, after only a few bites. In a twisted way, most moroi were dependant on that very fact for their survival, seeing as we only fed from consenting feeders, which would be impossible without the toxins in our bite.

I'd have to ask her about it at some point, though it was bound to be a sensitive topic. For now it was probably better to try and put the feedings off for as long as possible, for both our sakes, anyway.

"Lissa, what's wrong with you?" her question caught me off guard

Of course I couldn't have expected her to be glad I didn't want to bite her, considering her situation, but the way she said it was just plain aggressive.

"What are you talking about?"

_"_I _know_ you're hiding something. Can't you just tell me already? All you do is hang out with that girl. You know I can't protect you if you don't talk to me" she said, raising her voice impatiently

I couldn't believe it. How could she be so oblivious? Despite always talking about how she could read me like a book, Rose had never been able to see through me. After all these years she still didn't have a clue that I was in love with her. No matter how hard it got I had never allowed myself to blame her for it, because I knew it wouldn't be fair, so I had just suffered through it, one painful day at a time. But now? How dare she even ask me that...

"You really don't get it, do you?" I muttered under my breath, just loud enough for her to hear

"You're biting _her_"

She said, her eyes widening. She looked utterly disgusted, the tone of her voice acidic, like she was hit with a horrible realization all of a sudden.

And she was making _no sense_ whatsoever. Yes, maybe in the midst of a hot makeout my fangs had wandered towards Brooke's neck, but that didn't mean I had gone and instantly turned her into my personal minifridge. I barely knew the girl, honestly. Just what kind of person did Rose think I was?

Rose didn't have time to say anything else, because I had already gone out, slamming the door behind me.

* * *

I fucked up. I fucked up real bad this time. The conversation with Lissa, if it could even be called that, went exactly opposite to what I wanted. I didn't mean to harass her with questions, and well, accusations...at least not right away, but the second she came in through the door, looking relaxed and almost cheerful, something snapped in me. I guess people were right about my temper.

Lissa was with her, I was sure of it. She didn't use to come home with a goofy smile on her face before she met her. She wasn't feeding, she wasn't even talking to me anymore. It had to be her. I was pretty sure Lissa didn't know anyone else on campus before that bitch barged into her life.

I couldn't believe she had managed to replace me in just a couple of days. Was I really worth so little to her? _I bet she even preferred her blood to mine._

Shit. I would never admit this to anyone, even less to Lissa, but I had been looking forward to that bite. Now that it was clear I wasn't going to get it any time soon, shit was starting to majorly suck. I needed something, something to take the edge off, distract me.

Her sweet, sweet bite was better than anything I'd ever had. I dabbled in drugs, just to try them out, and drank copious amounts of alcohol and though it was certainly fun, it didn't even come close to what Lissa did to me every three days. And I made sure of it, since she was too shy or too nice to ever ask.

Deep down I realized I liked it a bit too much a while back, but it was a life or death situation for her-literally-and I wasn't about to put her in danger. Besides, nothing bad ever came out of our regular sessions, pretty much the exact opposite. Not until now.

Even the whole ritual me and Lissa had was damn good. She got really quiet and shy around me everytime I came to her bed, holding me like she was trying not to break me while she sank her fangs into my neck. I could tell she wanted more, wanted to be rougher but she held back because of me. Things would instantly get blurry, and I would vaguely realize I was clinging to her, asking for more. Then I'd wake up in Lissa's bed. It felt good to be cared for, to feel needed, wanted even.

Before the party, she looked famished, like she couldn't contain it, she drank so much I almost passed out. It was sick of me to miss it so much, but I did. I really fucking did.

* * *

Truth be told, Rose wasn't that far off the mark with her comment, offensive as it was. I _had_ been dangerously close to biting Brooke that day at the party, and it was just my luck that she had seen it. Feeding had always been such a daily routine for me, always taking place in a controlled environment, I was almost starting to forget my true nature. Me and Rose were fundamentally different, in that I had fangs and she, decidedly, did not. I was in a very strange mood that night after she decided to ditch me to look for some boy, which felt like a great cosmic joke, so I was clearly not in my right mind.

I went straight to Brooke's and it struck me that I had actually gotten pretty close to her in such a short amount of time.

She was waiting for me when I got there, took one look at me and said

"Tough day?" I nodded as I sank into her arms

She dug up her stash of booze from a trunk under her bed and passed me a beer, to which I gave an inquisitive look.

"You have low tolerance. And as much as I'd love for you to rip my shirt off like you did last time, it just wouldn't do" she said with a playful tone

I took the beer anyway. She lit a cigarette "Want one?"

"I guess, why not"

They were mint flavored, and they felt nice but made me cough, which Brooke thought was hilarious.

"Come sit?" she said, patting the space next to her on her red sofa "You want to talk about it?"

"We got into a fight, sort of. She says I've been distant lately" I said, taking a chug of the beer, realizing she'd given me a cherry flavored one. I know I wasn't the biggest alcohol drinker, but did she think I was eight? It's like she was trying to corrupt me with all these evil, sinful vices, only not really. It was sort of cute, actually.

Brook lifted an eyebrow

"What?" I asked her

"And you said she doesn't like you?"

"Is that supposed to be a joke?" A cruel one, at that.

She clicked her tongue, shaking her head, like she knew something I didn't.

"Way I see it, sounds like she's mega jealous"

"Jealous of who?" I asked, rolling my eyes

"I don't mean to brag but, she did walk in on you us last time, and things were _definitely_ sort of steamy"

"I told you she doesn't like me"

"So why don't we test it out? Make her jealous, see what happens" Brooke told me, with a look that said 'what have you got to lose?', as she took another drag of her menthol, the smoke spreading out through the room.

Was I too desperate or did that somehow not seem like such a bad idea?

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for reading!

I finally delivered on the whole "more of Rose" suspense thing. It's actually quite fun to be in her head.

To answer to you, Guest, I just couldn't agree more. I understand perfectly well what it's like to be in her position...it really sucks, lol. Plus straight girls are _so clueless_ *sighs*

Might upload a chapter a day, at least until I reach the part I'm most anticipating.


	5. Hurts Like Hell

I woke up in a massive bad mood after yesterday's disaster with Lissa. I looked over at her side of the room, and of course she wasn't there. She was probably cozying up to Brooke in her hipster apartment or whatever, having the time of her life.

The thought of skipping crossed my mind, but believe it or not, I actually cared about today's class. Shocking, I know. Biology had always fascinated me and while I skipped pretty much every other class, I always made sure to show up for this one. Not that anyone really cared. I was pretty proud of my professional slacker and general troublemaker reputation and wanted to keep it that way. I just made an exception to learn about evolution and genetic anomalies.

I found myself sighing after finally dragging myself out of bed, and looked at the time. It was 12:47..._and I was already half an hour late to my class._ Great.

Lissa had taken all morning classes, like the true nerd she was, and always made sure to wake me up in time. Every Tuesday, no exception. Except for today. It was embarrassing how much of a mess I was without her, and for once I was glad she wasn't there to see it.

Even Ms. Miller, the cool teacher who taught my class, couldn't keep my attention today. I was too distracted, and that was saying a lot coming from me. Not to mention I had to rush out of the dorm without doing my makeup, and looked like a mess. This day was just going from bad to worse, and then some.

I was on the way to the cafeteria to get an extra strong coffee, in a desperate attempt to un-zombify myself, when I saw a familiar head of long, golden hair. She was sitting next to that girl from the party, towards the back of the room, and they were chatting excitedly about something. Instant jealousy flooded me, but I told myself to not be a complete bitch, and just go over to say hi.

As I walked over, Brooke or whatever her name was deliberately put an arm around Lissa's shoulders, while making eye contact with me. Well if that's how you wanna play it, then _game on, bitch_.

Just who does she think she is? Me and Lissa had been friends for years, and she had been in the picture for what, a week? Give me a fucking break.

By the time I had finally reached them, ready to put a bitch back in her place, Lissa still didn't seem to have noticed me.

"Hi, Liss, see you've got company" I said in a sickly sweet voice

"We met. At the party" Brooke said, and she still had the audacity to seem smug

"Oh, right. Brooklyn, was it?" I said

"It's Brooke, actually" she answered, only mildly annoyed

"Lissa's such a good girl, you know, Bronwin? A bit too _charitable_, in my opinion" I said, emphasizing the word

"Rose!" Lissa said, shooting me an outraged look

"Jealous much?" Brooke said, ignoring the jab and clearly enjoying this for some sick reason

When I didn't answer she tightened her grip on Lissa, who just let her. I couldn't believe she wasn't backing me up here.

"Just go, Rose" Lissa said to me, shaking her head, and actually looking annoyed with me

Great. They're like, in love. Soon they'll elope and get a bunch of cats and live happily ever after. Good fucking riddance. I don't even care anymore.

I didn't have to be told twice.

* * *

I knew what we did to Rose wasn't right. Brooke saw her as soon as she entered the cafeteria.

"Your girlfriend's here. Don't look. Just follow my lead" she said, putting an arm around me

"I don't know, Brooke…"

"You want to bang her or not?"

"I..._what_?"

"Just trust me, okay? Here she comes"

"And...action" she whispered to me as Rose stopped to talk to us

It was normal for her to be jealous, after all she was my best friend, for all intents and purposes, and I was constantly ditching her to go hang out with someone else. But Rose was taking 'if looks could kill' to a whole new level. I knew her well enough to tell that she had been about to like, punch Brooke or something, if she'd kept teasing her.

"You're enjoying this way too much" I said to her, when we were back at her apartment

"What did I tell you? She's crazy about you."

"She's not." I said, shaking my head "She's just pissed because you took her precious BFF spot"

"I give you guys a week before you're rocking the bed frame loud enough for the whole dorm to hear"

"I'm not even going to dignify that with an answer"

"But you're still going back, aren't you?" she asked

Jealous or not, Rose had been punished enough for her weird outburst of yesterday. There was no point in me staying over at Brooke's any longer, and I wasn't even angry at her anymore. To be honest, I also just really missed her.

Brooke and I hung out at the apartment for a bit before I came back to the dorm, and when I did, Rose was asleep.

She looked pretty tired, like she hadn't slept well the night before, which made me feel even worse for the cold shoulder I gave her this morning.

Rose had apparently fallen asleep with the lights on, so I didn't have any trouble finding my way to my bed, but I accidentally knocked over a lamp, which fell with a loud bang.

I internally cursed as I saw Rose wake up with a start, getting up in an instant, her guardian instincts kicking in, despite how safe we were these days, as she grabbed something from underneath her pillow, and pointed it at me in a smooth motion.

"Liss?" she said, as she nonchalantly put the literal dagger she'd been ready to stab anyone dumb enough to sneak up on her with on her nightstand. I didn't know how to feel about the fact that Rose actually slept with _an actual throwing knife_ underneath her pillow. I guess, knowing her, I shouldn't even be surprised.

Rose sat back on her bed before starting to yawn. She looked sleepy and adorable, her hair slightly messy and her pajamas a bit crumpled, the homely kind of cute.

"Sorry for waking you. I was just going to go to sleep but I knocked over the stupid lamp"

"Don't worry about it." she said, running a hand through her dark hair "Actually, I'm glad. I kinda wanted to talk about this morning"

"Can I come sit?" I blurted out

"Sure" she said, a bit surprised, as she laid back on the bed, before scooting over to leave enough room for me

I followed her and pulled the covers over me. Her proximity instantly hit me, and the whole thing started to feel like a bad idea. I think I foolishly thought that now that I'd been away from her for a while, I had started to become immune to Rose's charms. Turns out I most definitely hadn't.

My senses were overwhelmed with the sweet smell of Rose, just, her skin, her hair, it was everywhere. Her bed was only a single, so we were actually packed really close. Literally why do I do this to myself?

She was looking at me expectantly, waiting for me to take the lead, which was definitely a first. But after what I'd done this morning, she deserved a proper apology.

"You were right, Rose. About the party, I mean. I told you it wasn't true but...I had been about to bite Brooke, I was drunk and don't even know what I was thinking, honestly. But if you hadn't come, I probably would've. So I'm sorry. And I'm sorry about today"

It felt good to get it all out of the way. As much as our painful friendship frustrated me, I hated fighting with Rose. I had loved her for so long, and I truly loved spending time with her, even just platonically. I honestly couldn't even imagine a life without her, so fighting like this was just a waste of time.

Rose listened to me intently before answering

"No, Liss. I'm the one who's sorry. I acted like a total raging bitch this morning, just because I was jealous of Brooke. It wasn't fair"

She looked so earnest when she said it, it made my heart flutter a bit. Even if it wasn't romantic and it never would be, Rose truly cared about me, loved me, even.

"So I guess we're both sorry?" I said, chuckling at the ridiculousness of the conversation. And soon Rose joined in, too.

"C'mere" she said, wrapping her arms closely around me, and I felt her laugh resonating on her chest

"I'm glad we got that out of the way" I told her, my voice muffled slightly by the fabric of her shirt. Yes. Rose was taller than me, which left me in the direct line of her full bosom, which I was trying _very_ hard not to think about. I was especially trying not to think about the fact that she wasn't even wearing a bra.

"Me too" she said, stroking my hair

We stayed like that for a while, until we both moved away, lying face to face again

"So...you and Brooke, huh?" she asked, lifting an eyebrow

"Well…" I trailed off

"It's nice being in love." she sighed "Like this whole different feeling" she added wistfully

It was warm inside the covers, and Rose's cheeks were slightly blushed. From up close, I could see straight into those chocolate-y brown eyes of hers, and noticed how long her eyelashes actually were. She wasn't wearing any makeup, but her tan skin had a sort of natural glow to it, making her look healthy and full of life. But the worst were her pouty lips, which were such a pretty pink color, glistening like she'd just licked them, practically begging to be kissed…

In the biggest show of courage and insanity, I reached up and kissed her parted lips, which were even softer than I'd imagined, as a small gasp of surprise fled them. It was only the quickest of pecks, brief and light, like the feel of a delicate butterfly resting on my lips. We were actually so close, I only had to move a few centimeters to reach them.

When I opened my eyes, Rose was looking at me, an expression of utter shock on her face.

I knew right away that it had been a mistake, but the kiss that I'd imagined a thousand times had been infinitely more amazing, had felt so good, so right...

"Liss? What did you…" she trailed off, her eyes still wide

"I guess...I like you, Rose. Have for a long time, actually. Hah" I chuckled uncomfortably "I guess that much you could figure out"

"You do? But I thought you were dating Brooke?" she said, confused

"You're the one I really like" I simply said, already knowing how this conversation was probably going to end, and wanting to get it over with

"Oh. Well...I'm sorry, Liss" she started "I just...I don't see you like that. We've been best friends for so long, we're practically sisters at this point"

Silence spread around us, as Rose seemed to grow even more uncomfortable

"I don't think I could ever...I mean, I don't even like girls that much. I've made out with a few when I was drunk, but it didn't mean anything" she said, fumbling for an excuse

"I know that, Rose, that's why I never even told you. But today I just didn't think, I just...I'm sorry"

All hope was lost as I said that and I was surprised to realize that after talking to Brooke today, and after the way Rose had acted this morning, the tiniest bit of hope had begun to grow within me. But of course, it had been wrong. I was starting to truly feel like an idiot...

"No, it's not. I know I'm hurting you, and I'm so, so sorry. Just please don't cry" she said, as she moved to wipe the tears I hadn't realized were streaming down my cheeks

I got up, and started to leave, too numb to answer, but Rose tried to hold me back

"Lissa, stop, what are you doing?"

I got away and started walking towards my desk, taking my textbooks and my bag with me, before moving over to our closet and starting to grab the first clothes I found, and stuffing them in my bag. There was a quiet determination with which I found myself gathering my things. I wasn't storming out in anger, but simply, methodically, moving out of our dorm.

"You can't do that, Liss. We promised we'd stick together" her voice sounded a little desperate

"I'm not sure I can keep our promise anymore. It's better for both of us if we take a bit of time apart" I said, my voice shaking and my vision blurred, as I made my way to the door.

"Just listen to me" she said, grabbing my wrist and trying to stop me, making me drop my Economics book. I didn't bother picking it up, I'd just borrow Brooke's.

"I'm sorry" I simply told her, as I stepped out into the hall

* * *

**A/N: **New chapter, my dudes. Thanks for reading, once again.

I really like the namesake song for this chapter, it's by Fleurie.

Things are definitely getting tense over here, dare I even say, (over)dramatic...hope that's okay with everybody.

Also, yes, I do know that Lissa is actually taller than Rose, because moroi are tall and slim and dhampirs are shorter, etc, etc. But I kind of always pictured Rose to be taller than her, so that's that.

I'm in the midst of uploading the first chapter of my Life is Strange fic, called The Blue Hour, so if you like Pricefield as much as I do, maybe check it out? hohoho

Next chapter is going to be very, very important, is all I will say...


	6. Cliff's Edge

When I got to Brooke's apartment, I saw with chagrin that I had 6 missed calls from Rose, and she'd even left me several messages. I put my phone away, sighing.

"That Rose? She really can't stand being apart from you, can she?" Brooke said shaking her head, seemingly irritated

"Will you stop it with that? The wound's still fresh, you know. Which by the way, wouldn't even have happened if your assessment hadn't been totally wrong"

"Sorry, not my fault she's so far in the closet she can't even admit her feelings" she said, throwing her hands up in the air "That girl's a joke, if you ask me. Why bother pining after someone so in denial?"

"Because A, she isn't in denial, she's just like, straight. Or just, not into me. And B, because I like her, which is just...so messed up" I said, defeated "Besides, it's not like there are a hundred other girls lining up for me"

"Ha. Of course there aren't" she said, shaking her head, yet her tone somehow seemed sarcastic. And while that was true, it was also like, really mean?

"Whatever. Want a drink? I assume you're staying over for a while" she said, gesturing to the bag of clothes and books I'd brought with me

"Oh, yeah, if that's okay with you? I'm sorry for like, always barging in on you."

"Told you, girl. You're always welcome here" she said while she grabbed drinks for us

Brooke was truly an amazing friend. Ever since our awkward first encounter, she'd been nothing but kind and supportive towards me. Even if she was still terribly wrong about Rose.

"It must get tiring to hear about my pathetic love life all the time" I said, giving a self deprecating laugh before taking a swig of the beer she'd got me

"Yours isn't so bad, believe me" she said, making a face

"What are you talking about? I bet girls are throwing themselves at you all the time" I said, giving her a nudge with my shoulder

"Oh, yeah, they are. Man, there's so many secret queers in campus if you know where to look. Can't keep up with the DMs " she said confidently

"What about that cute girl from the party? The one with the pink hair. She was so all over you that time"

"Okay, enough about me. What are you gonna to do about bicurious Lara Croft over there?"

That made me chuckle. I guess Rose had a few similarities with the Tomb Raider. Sexy, badass and with a snarky personality...I bet she would appreciate the comparison, even.

"Ignore her and pray for the strength to get over her? That's the plan, anyway"

"Come on, you can't give up that easy. There's got to be away to make her crack." she said, thinking "You could like, give her a lap dance or something. Bet that would turn her over to the dark side real fast"

Brooke ended her statement with a nonchalant shrug before lighting a cigarette.

"Is that supposed to be a serious suggestion?" I asked, narrowing my eyes

"Oh, stop it, Lissa. You got all this shy girl energy that makes people wanna make a mess out of you. Plus, you're fucking gorgeous" she gave a dismissive hand gesture "You just gotta use it to your advantage"

"I'm flattered, but you're clearly delusional if you think I have the skills or the confidence to pull off something like that"

"Listen. We made out once, remember? You putting your hands all over me and that thing you did with my neck, it was hot, okay? Do that to Rose and boom, she's yours" she said, pausing to exhale a wave of smoke away from me, the familiar smell flooding the room.

"Brooke, you're not listening. _I kissed her_, okay? then she spent the next fifteen minutes telling me she didn't see me like that. I tried, and it didn't work and now I have to live with it"

"Ugh, I can't keep having this conversation" she paused to theatrically roll her eyes in frustration "Soon you're gonna be trying to swallow each other's tongues and all of this will be over. Trust me, okay? I know about this stuff"

"Well, you're wrong. And also like...really gross, you know that?" I said, laughing

"Guilty as charged." she said, giving me a playful wink

* * *

I spent the next few days hanging out with Brooke, going to class and ignoring Rose. I missed her, a lot, but at the same time, I was a bit relieved. Finally I had done what I'd been wanting to do for years. I'd confessed and well, things hadn't gone well at all, but at least it was out of the way. Even with the way she rejected me, it wasn't anything I hadn't been expecting, she'd even tried to do it nicely.

The future was unclear, though. I'd been so obsessed and so sad about my one-sided crush, that I hadn't thought about anything besides Rose. Or anyone, for that matter. Now that it was clear as day that it was never going to happen...I didn't really know what to do.

Another issue I was having, was of course the problem of feeding. I'd been gone for four days now, and I'd been fasting for longer than that, refusing Rose's suggestions. In theory, it probably wasn't that hard to find a willing donor, especially with the rising popularity of vampires in the media as of late. But in reality? I had no idea how to do it. I was starting to feel weaker and weaker, and much more anxious, like I was ready to jump out of my skin at any time. It was starting to become pretty serious.

So much so, that I was literally researching blood banks online, and wondering how difficult it would be to raid the med wing's lab, probably with the help of my compulsion, when Brooke stopped to talk to me.

"Hey, Lizliza, how come you never eat? It's starting to kinda worry me. Especially with how pale you look?"

She walked over to me, presumably to inspect my complexion a bit closer. She smelled so human, so full of life...and I instantly felt the urge to feed.

"Liss, uh, your...lip is bleeding. Again." she said, looking concerned "Are you sure you're okay?"

I felt a single drop of blood trailing down the side of my mouth, I must've bit my lip and my fangs must've cut into it while I was looking at her.

"Uh..yeah, totally"

That didn't sound convincing in the slightest, not even to me, and Brooke inched closer towards me.

"Uh, Lissa. What's that in your mouth? Are you...wearing fake fangs?" she looked positively puzzled this time

Oh shit. Well. I tried hard not to get too close to anyone in the human world as a precaution, and always thought I'd compel away any questions if anyone ever figured out what I was. But it was different with Brooke. She'd been so amazing to me and we'd gotten so close these past few weeks, it kind of felt like treason to lie to her like that. Though with the way I was feeling right now, I'm not sure it was even a possibility anymore.

"What's going on?"

I was starting to feel even more light headed, probably because of the stress, and Brooke was standing right in front of me, waiting for an answer.

I smiled a toothy grin, showing her my fangs, somehow throwing caution to the wind, hoping she'd get the picture without me having to explain too much.

"Wow, Liss, didn't know you were into that…" she grazed my fang with her fingertip, still looking confused, especially when she noticed how sharp they were.

"The thing is..these are real. It's kind of a wonder you didn't notice them before"

Now she was totally shocked. And honestly? I couldn't even blame her.

"Okay. _What _now?" she paused "No offense, Liss, but you sound insane"

"I know what is sounds like. But it's true. And that's why I'm so pale...I used to take it from Rose, but I can't anymore" I said, starting to feel really faint

"You're tellin me you're like, a vampire or something?" I just nodded "And you expect me to believe that?"

Okay, this had _obviously_ been a bad idea. Darn. How tired was I? I guess I had no choice now but to use compulsion...

"Why would I lie to you?" I told her, my breathing starting to become labored

The hunger was starting to get unbearable. I was fine before but the whole conversation had been like a catalyst, and now I felt like I was slowly dying.

Moroi couldn't go this long without feeding, I knew that, yet...I thought I could somehow bypass that by willpower alone. Needless to say, I was so, so wrong.

I felt myself swooning, and somehow ended up on the floor. It didn't even hurt.

"Lissa? Oh my god, what's happening to you?" her voice was sounding desperate, and I vaguely saw her kneel down next to me, putting two fingers to my throat

"Damn, your pulse is so weak...You're having an anemia attack" I heard her dialing a phone…

"Brooke, I need..." I started to say, but my voice was only a whisper "I need blood"

Brooke looked towards me, hesitating before hanging up the phone. And then, in what was an extremely surprising turn of events, she helped me up into a seating position and lowered her shirt over her shoulder, exposing her neck to me.

I couldn't think anymore. I could smell her blood, her skin...and before I knew it, I was using all my remaining strength to bite her.

I felt her rapid pulse against my lips, her blood rushing into my mouth, instantly giving me an energy boost. When I was done, Brooke was positively stoned, and her warm blood was dripping over my chin, so I wiped it off with the back of my hand, already feeling embarrassed.

"Damn girl...why was that so great?" her words were slurred as she laid on the floor, recovering slowly from the after bite high.

"Our uh, saliva releases endorphins, that's what gives the...slightly exhilarating effect"

"Swe-et" she stretched out the word, somehow pronouncing it like it had two syllables

"I...I don't know what to say, Brooke. I don't know how to thank you" I started saying "I don't think I would've believed me in your situation"

I definitely wouldn't have. I sounded insane. Yet somehow Brooke had believed me, and she had let me feed on her...I didn't know how to feel about it.

Brooke scrambled towards the bed, throwing herself on it, then patted the space beside her for me to sit.

I went over to her, feeling energized and full of life, yet completely mortified.

"This is not how I wanted you to find out about this" I said, putting my hands over my face. I felt Brooke take my wrists, and saw her looking at me earnestly, yet with a slightly misty-eyed look.

"I'm just so glad you told me, Liss. That you trusted me enough" she started "And I'm happy I was able to help you"

"You're so amazing, Brooke...I seriously owe you" I said to her, not knowing how to thank her enough.

I wiped the remaining drops off her neck, before reaching for a bandaid in my bag, and carefully placing it over the two little puncture wounds on Brooke's neck.

"Is it gonna be this amazing every time?" she asked me once I was done

"Every time? What...No, Brooke, I can't do this to you again, it's not right"

"Oh, to hell with 'right'." she shook her head, dismissively, before adding "If I can help you out and get high in the process, that's a total win-win"

"I guess…" I hesitated "Let me get you something to eat"

"Wait. Don't go" Brooke said, grabbing my shoulder as I was getting up.

She was holding onto me, looking at me with such an expression of vulnerability, that I just laid back down in bed with her.

We talked for a bit as she rode her trip out and simultaneously recovered from the blood loss, with our hands still linked together.

* * *

I got to our shared dorm, and was glad to see that Rose wasn't there. I definitely wanted to avoid another awkward conversation, and had decided to let things calm down between us before speaking to her again. I wasn't completely giving her the silent treatment, because frankly she didn't deserve it, so I was still answering her numerous texts, but that was about it. It really was best for both of us if we took some time apart.

Brooke's shower had apparently broken down this morning, and she had to contact the landlord and everything to get it fixed. She suggested letting me borrow a friend's, where she was going, but I just told her I'd go to Rose's since I still had our key.

The room looked about the same as it had last week, when I'd stormed out, and Rose's side was still as messy as ever. I kind of smiled in spite of myself, glad to see some things hadn't changed between us.

I did miss her, even though I didn't want to admit it. So it was still kind of bittersweet to see the room empty.

I took the opportunity to grab a new set of clothes, because I'd already used up everything I'd thrown in my bag that fateful night, and even had to start borrowing clothes from Brooke. It turned out her wardrobe mostly consisted of flannels and band t-shirts, so I was currently wearing a The Clash shirt and a red and black flannel, which she said looked cute on me.

I got into the shower and turned on the water, the room quickly filling up with warm steam. The sweet smell of shampoo and toiletries and fresh water filled the air around me as I showered.

Once I was done, I stepped out, realizing I'd forgotten to bring a towel. Great. I ended up borrowing Rose's pale pink one, feeling a little guilty, since we were technically still fighting, and noticed it smelled a bit like her.

"Okay, that's enough of that, Lissa." I said to myself, shaking my head

I was combing my wet hair, brushing a hand across the foggy mirror so I could see myself better, when my sharp moroi senses picked up on a foreign sound. I froze, slightly panicked, but realized it was probably something harmless like hdfh. So I got started with my meager skin care routine, which basically consisted of moisturizer and lip balm, before grabbing a second towel and patting my hair dry.

But then the door opened with a bang, startling me, and there was Rose, standing in the doorway, dressed in her usual clothes, as beautiful and unattainable as ever, an expression on her face I didn't recognize.

"Rose?" I said to her, still a bit shaken "Sorry uh, Brooke's shower broke so I just borrowed yours. Probably should have texted…" I trailed off, when I saw she showed no signs of listening, as she still looked intently at me

Rose slipped in the bathroom, walking over the few feet that separated us, until she was standing directly in front of me, the space between us becoming so small.

It grew even smaller as she reached out to me, brushing my hair off my shoulder, her hand grazing my skin, which still had droplets of water from the shower, making me shiver.

"What…" I started, confused, but Rose ignored me, her hand still lingering, her beautiful face only inches away

And soon she was grabbing the side of my face, and then she was kissing me, her warm lips brushing impossibly against mine, feeling incredible and making me go weak in the knees.

I was overwhelmed by her smell, by her closeness, and it suddenly struck me that I was only wearing a towel, _her_ towel at that. I wasn't even lucid enough to comprehend the fact that she had slipped into the bathroom, initiating the kiss, capturing my lips before I even had time to respond.

The kiss lasted a bit, and I loved every second of it, and as she was pulling away, she playfully tugged my lower lip with her teeth, leaving me breathless.

"Payback" she stopped to whisper in my ear, and that was the last thing she said before leaving me there, hungry for more. I pressed my fingers to my lips, where her incredible kiss still lingered, more frustrated and confused than I'd felt in forever.

* * *

I walked out of the bathroom, after getting dressed, and Rose was sitting in front of her desk, busy doing something on her computer. Grabbing the bag I had brought, I stuffed more clothes from the closet inside, along with a few books I'd forgotten to bring last time, and saw Rose look over at me, but I ignored her.

"Come on, Liss, you're still mad at me?" I heard her asking, and the nonchalance in her voice was only making me angrier.

She was turned towards me, resting her arms on the back of her desk chair, looking at me expectantly, her face a perfect picture of casual innocence.

"Teasing me like that...it was cruel. You know perfectly well how I feel about you" I said to her, my voice acidic, as I zipped up my bag, ready to leave

"I just" she sighed "I miss you, Liss"

She still had the audacity of looking sorry, giving me those sweet puppy eyes that used to make me melt.

_Oh, fuck you, Rose_.

"You're only doing this because of the bite" I shook my head, already so tired of talking to her "Just stop. I can't even look at you anymore"

"It's not the same, okay? I'm not just some junkie." Rose paused, running her fingers through her hair in frustration "I had some dumb moroi bite me once, and it was awful. It has to be you, Liss."

"What does that even mean?"

The initial shock of her confession aside, it just seemed like a desperate attempt to hold me back. Just so we could go back to being the best friends we'd been for years, me pining after her in silence and she living her life, having a blast. And even sadistically teasing me, apparently. And I was so, so sick of it.

"I don't know, okay? But we should figure it out together, like we always do"

"Did the kiss even make you feel anything?" I asked her, already knowing the answer

"I don't know…" she trailed off.

Of course she didn't. I turned away and walked out into the hallway, not waiting for her to continue.

"Do it again. For real this time" Rose's voice rang out behind me, stopping me dead in my tracks

"Are you _fucking_ serious?" I scoffed, even angrier than before, which I didn't even think was possible.

"Let's try it, okay? I can try, Liss, I want to. Just come back, please" her voice had a desperate tone.

I turned around to face her and saw that she was calling out to me from our doorstep, now wearing the cute pajamas we'd bought together at the mall last month. Her hair was in a messy side-braid, a few stray pieces sticking out of it. And she looked beautiful. And I was exhausted. Loving her was killing me.

My bag made a dull sound as it hit the ground, and I stepped into our room, closing the door behind me.

Rose was looking at me expectantly, waiting for me to make a move. And I did.

I threw an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to me, as my lips crashed against hers with frenzy, with the hunger and frustration I'd been repressing for years. I buried a hand in her hair and ran my fingers through it, undoing her braid, like I'd been wanting to do for so long.

_And everything was different this time._

Because Rose was actually kissing me back, holding me tighter...and I was surprised to see her matching my desperation as she lost herself in the kiss.

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks a lot for reading, folks!

We have finally reached the much anticipated chapter, the one I always pictured whenever I thought of Lissa and Rose finally admitting their true feelings for each other. And all that mushy stuff, etc.

It took me a little while and I might edit a few things here and there after releasing, but I'm pretty satisfied with the end result.

I don't want to spoil anything, but I think we've all noticed the way Brooke looks at Lissa...and how her feelings for her might be more serious than she lets on.

Find out more in the next chapters, I guess. Will post soon.

The song for this chapter matches the tone and theme of it so, so well, it's kind of impressive, if I say so myself (obvs by my girl Hayley Kiyoko), so maybe check it out?

Also! shameless plug, but the first chapter of my Pricefield fic is finally out! Do with that information what you may lol


	7. Feeding the Fire

_Rose:_

I have no idea what the hell happened.

When I got home after class, there was steam coming from the bathroom and Lissa's bag was on the floor next to her bed. I got in and saw her wearing my towel, fresh out of the shower looking like nothing had happened, her wet hair spread over her shoulders like some golden curtain. I barely even heard her explaining why she was here instead of spending quality time with the new love of her life, because I simply didn't care. I walked closer to her only to see her grow even more surprised, as she wondered what the fuck I was doing. You and me both, sis.

But I was also just really, really fucking pissed at her. For making me worry, for making me miss her so much.

And for running away to that moron girlfriend of hers every time things got tough, because God forbid making the effort to stick with the one person who actually cared about her, who knew her. No, sure, let's just ditch stupid old Rose for the new, cool girlfriend, right? What a fucking joke. If she liked me so much like she said, then why was she always leaving?

I had to make her pay.

I got even closer to her, and I instantly saw the way her cheeks turned red, and her eyes grew wide, filling me with a weird satisfaction. I brushed her wet hair off her shoulder, touching her skin that glistened with droplets, and saw her squirm under my touch. Those stupid green eyes of her were fixed on my lips, and I could tell how badly she wanted me, how desperately, how much she loved me.

_And it just really pissed me off._

* * *

_Lissa:_

Nothing particular really happened after me and Rose kissed that second time. It certainly took me by surprise when she kissed me back so eagerly...Yet somehow I felt even more confused than before, if that was even possible. Theoretically, such a development should mean that my feelings for her were not, in fact, unrequited after all. But with Rose? You just never knew.

After breaking the kiss, I had texted Brooke that I wasn't coming back tonight, and Rose gave me a sleepy smile and said she was going back to sleep. And then she did. Just like that.

The whole situation should have been more cathartic, more mind-blowing. And don't get me wrong, the kiss had made me feel all sorts of warm and fuzzy ways but...there was something a bit anticlimactic about it. Something that didn't seem quite right, and had me up all night wondering and agonizing. Wasn't the aftermath of such a thing supposed to be a heartfelt apology and a passionate confession of love? None of that had happened, not in the slightest.

It was the morning after, and Rose had finally woken up, after sleeping in like she so often did. It was almost like nothing had changed between us. Like we had never even fought at all.

"Hi, Liss. Slept well?" she asked me before giving a big yawn

In truth, she looked pretty adorable as she stretched, her shirt rising up ever so slightly to show a strip of naked skin on her stomach. Just seeing her like that made me want to walk over there and kiss her stupid face all over again.

But I just couldn't, for the life of me, figure out what she was playing at. And it was sort of driving me insane.

"Rose, about yesterday…" I started, before shaking my head "Just, can you explain to me what the hell happened?"

"What? Uh, that. I guess we finally had our mandatory BFF makeout sesh, hah" she said with a chuckle, and had the audacity to actually seem nonchalant about it

There were no words to describe how I felt then. No need for words.

I guess I had just never pegged her for the cruel type.

* * *

"So...did you two finally fuck?" Brooke said as soon as she saw me in class that day

"Please don't mention Rose anymore" I was shaking my head, wondering how I could have been so stupid, how I could have believed that the kiss meant anything close to Rose to what it did to me. It hadn't meant anything to her. And I was an absolute idiotic moron.

"Woah, back up, Liss, just what the fuck happened between you yesterday?"

I gave a big, irritated sigh

"She kissed me. Twice actually. And then you know what she dared to call it? A fucking '_BFF makeout session'_. I can't even believe her. I'm so stupid, Brooke'

"Damn...The denial is _real_. I don't think I've ever actually met someone so dense" she chuckled

"Dense? She doesn't even like me, it's just some sick power trip for her" I said, disgusted "I'm not falling for it anymore"

"O-kay then" Brooke said, stretching out the word before adding with a casual shrug "Works for me"

"She might be really beautiful and all that, but I'm nobody's plaything, you know?" I said

It was only now that I realized how tight Rose had me wrapped around her little finger, and it made me sick.

"Hey, I'm the first one to say Rose sucks. Like, really. I don't know why you were so hung up over her in the first place"

"You know what? I think I don't either" I said before adding "At least not anymore"

"Don't even worry about it, okay? Plus, you have me" she said, putting an arm around my shoulder "Be it for food or anything else"

Somehow that actually managed to make me smile a little bit.

"I guess you _were_ pretty tasty" I said, jokingly

For some reason, Brooke's expression changed a little when she heard that, but she was laughing again as she said "You bet I am." and then we were walking together towards the cafeteria.

* * *

_Rose:_

Lissa was clearly avoiding me now, and wasn't even bothering to be sneaky about it. Even though she'd moved back in with me, she was always out, and I knew it had to be my fault.

All because of the kiss, huh? I guess when she was storming out again, I got scared. That she was going to leave again, and that this time it might be for good. So I blurted out the first thing that came through my head. Probably not my proudest moment.

Because then we were kissing. Like, _really_ kissing.

I knew how bad it looked from the outside. Like I was just playing with her for the hell of it, but I really wasn't. I just...missed her so fucking much. And I'd do anything to get her to stay. And if that meant being a bitch, then to hell with it.

And anyway, she was the one who made me so fucking mad in the first place. She didn't have the right to act all outraged when I finally got my revenge. It was petty and I knew it, okay? But that's just the way I am.

Beside what's a little smooching between best friends? Some casual makeout wasn't that big a deal, anyway. Plus, _this was college_. I mean, I'd be surprised if more than half the girls on campus hadn't already 1st based the hell out of their friend group.

But as the days passed, I decided I had to make another attempt at patching things up with her. I just didn't know what yet.

* * *

_Lissa:_

A few days had seamlessly gone by without anything major, and I'd told Rose I was going to sleep over at Brooke's tonight, which she actually had the nerve to look mad about, but I was starting to become really tired of all the drama. Every day it became a little easier to ignore Rose and try focusing on the present.

We weren't even drinking, but I noticed Brooke was sitting really close to me, for some reason, and was being particularly affectionate tonight. Usually she only got all mushy and touchy-feely after a couple of drinks, so it was definitely a bit odd. I'd fed from her yesterday, so it was definitely not low blood pressure either. It was actually almost scary how fast I'd gotten used to feeding from her, even if it was not as amazing as with Rose.

"You look so cute in my clothes" Brooke said to me, snapping me out of my thoughts

We were sitting on the couch and had been watching some teen horror movie that none of us were really paying attention to. And now she was looking down at me, at the rock t-shirt of hers I was wearing on top of my pajama shorts.

"Hah, thanks" I said with a chuckle, clutching at the shirt's material "Your style is so much cooler than mine"

"No way. Remember that dress from when we first met? That was way cute"

I did remember. Rose had suggested I wear the satin one, and I'd gotten so mad about it, I'd chosen another one, kind of just to spite her.

"You think? It was just some random sundress" I said, getting embarrassed for some reason

"It's what's inside that counts, gal"

There was something about the way Brooke was looking at me, something possessive, adoring...If I didn't know any better, I'd almost think she was flirting with me.

"Hah, I guess" I ended up saying, still a bit lost in the direction the conversation was taking

If our first meeting was anything to go by, Brooke clearly was into girls, so I guess the idea that she might be attracted to me wasn't all that outlandish. It's just that I had never really considered it.

"Wanna make out? I'm bored" Brooke said, in a nonchalant tone, as she pressed a button on the remote and muted the movie, and I literally froze.

Just..._What?_ What just happened?

I must've made a pretty shocked expression because Brooke chuckled

"Oh, come on, Liss. Don't tell me you didn't notice"

"Notice what?" I said, already half dreading the answer

"Jesus...you _are_ dense" she said, in exasperation "You're cute okay? It's not like I haven't told you a hundred times. Plus, things with your gal pal haven't exactly been working out. So it'd just be something casual, like at the party. No strings attached"

I didn't really know how to react to that. I guess, looking back on it, Brooke had done a lot more than a regular friend would for me. Welcoming me into her house, no questions asked, listening to me agonize over Rose every single day...I had just thought she was a really solid friend.

And then of course, she was always a bit flirtatious when we were together, but that was also just the way she was with everybody, so she couldn't really blame me for not realizing any sooner.

And...well, I had to admit, all with being crushed by Rose's rejection recently, I was feeling pretty lonely. And that first makeout we'd had had been pretty heavenly, to be honest, and Brooke was definitely attractive. Considering how drunk I was then, I didn't even know what would have happened between us if Rose hadn't shown up when she did.

"I guess we can try kissing a little" I said, deciding to give it a try

"Cool"

Brooke reached for the side of my face, drawing closer, before planting a light kiss on my lips. Just, lightly brushing against each other. And it _did_ feel good. Though I guess that wasn't surprising.

She drew back, looking at me, before doing anything else. Oh, to hell with it. I grabbed her this time, kissing her deeply, and after an initial jolt of surprise, her lips parted. I introduced my tongue inside her lips, and a new wave of sensations flooded me. It was so warm and she was so soft…

Brooke pushed me against the couch, getting on top of me. Her whole body was pressing against me, as I wrapped my arms around her, drawing her even closer, and it occurred to me that we probably had about the same bra size, judging from the feel of her chest against mine. She dragged her tongue across my lower lip, sending a jolt of electricity through me, before breaking away from the kiss, but she didn't leave me enough time to miss her, because she immediately started working on my neck, which elicited a moan from me, surprising us both.

"Do you do this often?" I asked in between ragged breaths, mirroring one of our first conversations, which drew a chuckle from her

"Let's say it's not uncommon" she replied, before reaching up to kiss me again, this time even more eagerly

Soon Brooke's hands were trailing all over me, making me even more excited. Her hand reached inside my shirt, well, hers actually, caressing my bare skin, before traveling all the way to my bra, lightly grazing my chest.

"That okay?" she asked in between kisses, and I nodded, and she continued what she was doing

Somehow we both ended up shirtless, which was probably as far as I'd ever gone with a girl, and I noticed Brooke was wearing a cute black bralette, which looked really nice on her, her brown hair flowing over her shoulders, in stark contrast against her pale skin. I buried my hands in her hair, and we continued kissing. But then Brooke's hand found the clasp on my bra, making me pause.

"Uh, not yet" I said to her while breaking the kiss

She nodded rather understandingly and we got back to more PG-13, vanilla kissing, before putting our tops back on and simply cuddling on the couch.

So, I guess that kind of happened?

* * *

_Rose:_

Lissa had shown no signs of life in the past 3 days, and I was at the my top bitchiness level. The bond wasn't any use, like she had blocked it or something, not letting me in. Fuck.

And of course, I had to run into Lissa's super chill friend that I liked so much on the way back to the dorm. She was sitting on a bench, on the phone with someone. And I just had the feeling that it was with Liss. The nerve.

"Yeah, I got The Vampire Diaries" she lifted her bag up, even though Lissa couldn't see it "Maybe this time we'll actually watch it instead of making out"

Oh, that bitch, that fucking bitch….Not only she had the nerve of taking Lissa away from me, but she also had to parade it all over fucking campus.

She finally noticed me standing there.

"Oh, Rose is here" she rolled her eyes at me "Yeah, it's her. See you, babe"

She hung up the phone

"Who you talkin to, bitch?" I heard myself asking her, and my voice sounded a little insane, even to me

"Why, to my girlfriend, Rose"

"You really, really" I started, in the sweetest, most terrifying tone I could manage "_really_ got to back the fuck off from her"

"Excuse you? I can't believe I'm hearing this from you" she said, shaking her head, before getting up to leave

I held her back by the shoulder, and jerked her around, hard, the look of surprise she had on her smug little face worth a million bucks.

"What did you say?" I was grabbing the collar of her shirt, not letting her leave

"I _said_ that I think you're a fucking bitch, and if you don't stop messing with her, I'll beat the shit out of you. Capisce?"

I had to give it to her, she recovered pretty quickly, and seemed kind of ready to do just that. But so was I. Plus, I was always the one to throw the first punch, and I liked things that way.

I pushed her back with both hands and she bounced back a feet or two, before falling back on the grass, which was a delightful sight.

"Yeah, you and whose army, bitch?" I said "You really gotta stop meddling into other people's business. You could get hurt, you know."

A few passerbys were looking at us, but we were in the middle of campus, and a tame fight between two girls wasn't exciting enough to keep their attention.

"Don't you get it, Rose? Lissa's with me now" she said with a chuckle, unfazed, as she got up

Okay, so now I was actually going to have to kill her.

"It's over, you lost." she came over and actually tapped me on the shoulder, ready to leave again "Get over it"

I grabbed the arm she had the audacity to put on my shoulder, using it as leverage, and gave her a square punch on the face, packing all the force I could into it. Which needless to say, was a lot. I don't spend hours training for nothing, bitch.

I'd clipped her left cheek pretty good, and my ring had actually cut her a bit when I did, which wasn't actually on purpose, so there was some blood happening. Plus, the area was starting to swell, and it looked like she was going to have a nasty bruise tomorrow. She so deserved it, though. The pain on my knuckles had never been so pleasant.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" she said and went for a punch in the stomach, but I was already there, ready to block it. But then she lifted her elbow, and socked me on the chin, hard.

The blow took me by surprise, and I wasn't fast enough to dodge. She caught my lip, too, and blood was filling my mouth. I spit it out, my bottom lip swelling already.

As much as I didn't want to admit it, her blows were messy, and she obviously had no technique at all, but the girl knew how to fight. In a dirty, streetfighter way, but still. Not like it mattered, though.

I wiped the trail of blood off my chin with the back of my hand before charging at her, throwing her to the ground and landing with a thud. She tried shaking me off but was obvioulsy not strong enough. I mean, I _was_ a guardian, after all.

I immobilized her on the ground as she struggled to get free, grunting with effort. But then she somehow managed to grab a hold of my hair, and started to tug on it like there was no tomorrow, like she was literally trying to rip it out of my skull, which was probably true. I cursed to myself, knowing the teachers at the academy would be disappointed if they saw me. No one goes into a fight with untied hair. Though I guess, in my defense, my plan was to threaten Brooke and throw her around a bit, not start rehearsing the Fight Club script in the middle of campus.

Now that things were looking serious, I saw a crowd of people had gathered around us, and the sight of it renewed my motivation to start beating her up properly.

I punched her, again, and the shock of it made her let go of my hair. This time it really had hurt, though, because she scooted back and brought her hand to her nose, which was actually bleeding, with a horrified expression, before saying "Fuck Rose, are you the fucking Hulk? You fuckin broke my nose, you bitch!"

Oh. So I guess that's that, then. Hearing her say that kind of made the whole situation feel a bit ridiculous.

"Sorry" I said with a sigh, walking towards her

My lip was still bleeding and the crowd around us started to part, as they all left making disappointed comments. Idiots. If they wanted a real fight they should have gone somewhere else.

I sat down on the grass next to her "You okay?"

"Okay? Are you fuckin-" she stopped herself, sighing as she wiped her nose before asking "Why do you care so much, anyway? You don't even like her that way"

"What? I love Lissa. Way more than you, anyway" I scoffed

"You know what I mean. In the queer way, the wanna marry her way. Come on, you're not twelve anymore"

"Is there even a difference?" I said, surprising us both.

For someone who's supposedly straight, than did sound a bit gay. Even to me.

"Okay, weirdo. So you wanna bang her, then?"

"_What?_"

I wasn't a prude, by far, but the idea of doing that stuff with Lissa definitely made me uncomfortable. And I was probably also blushing like a fucking idiot. Fuck.

Brooke just stared at me, and she had this look on her face.

"Then what? You're just too much of a coward, aren't you? You don't have the balls to admit it"

I had no idea what to say to that. And Brooke knew it.

"Then let Lissa stay with someone that actually knows what they want" she said, and then she passed me, ready to leave.

But not without grabbing my shoulder and giving me the solid punch to the stomach she didn't land the first time, knocking all the wind out of me. I buckled in two, clutching at my stomach, trying to catch my breath, and it fucking _hurt_.

"I guess karma's a bitch" she slowly said to me, before just, walking away. And leaving me there.

* * *

Lissa:

I was at the apartment, catching up with the school work that I'd been slacking on these past few weeks, since the Rose fiasco and everything, when I heard Brooke coming in.

"You got the DVDs…." I trailed off, getting one good look at her face "Wow, what happened to you?"

She had one decently sized bruise starting to form on her cheek, and there was some blood around her nose. She looked pretty worse for tear, to be honest.

"Got into a fight..." she said, putting the bag on the table, almost apologetically, before adding "with Rose"

"You _what_?"

Rose was absolutely unbelievable. Not only did she have to mess up my entire life but now she had gone and beaten the crap out of my best friend? No way.

"I'm going to kill her" I went to the door but Brooke stopped me, putting her hand on my arm

"No, listen, I kind of provoked her a bit. Plus you should see the damage on her. Not pretty"

"Oh. Wait, why did you do that?"

"I'm sorry, Liss. I know that stuff's between you two but she just pisses me off so bad…"

"She can be a bit exasperating, yeah" I said with a tiny smile, before reaching into the bathroom cupboard and grabbing some antiseptic I was surprised Brooke even had around.

I sat Brooke down, who didn't seem to know what to do, and started to clean her injuries.

"So what happened?"

"I don't even know. We talked, threw a couple of punches...Damn, Rose has one mean right hook. I almost thought she broke my nose" she said, chuckling at the end

It made me laugh just a tiny bit in spite myself

"Yeah, she is pretty badass"

"Yep. But then she uh, basically admitted to liking you" she said tentatively, waiting for my reaction. I stopped, the hand that was putting a plaster on her cheek freezing midair.

She what? Now that is a surprising turn of events if I've ever seen one. Which I haven't. I mean..._what?_

"She said that?"

"Pretty much yeah. Seemed as surprised as I was" Brooke said, before continuing "But uh, that doesn't change anything right, Liss? I mean after all the stuff she did"

Oh god...I don't even know what's up with Rose or if she was just bluffing but if there was even a chance that it was true then…

I mean, Brooke was so amazing and being with her was so comfortable and nice. But Rose was, well, she was Rose. And I had to go meet with her.

"Uh, so is Rose okay?" I said and the look on Brooke's face told me she definitely noticed me dodging the subject

"Yeah, don't worry about your friend, Liss. She's alright" she said, and the disappointment in her voice was palpable

* * *

The alcohol I was trying to put on my lip stung like hell, and looked even worse. And I probably was going to have a pretty nasty bruise on my stomach tomorrow, judging by the way it hurt when I breathed too hard. Well, isn't that just great. I looked at my face in the mirror and it was pretty horrible, to be honest. Plus the stuff she'd said about me and Liss had totally confused me…

But then the door opened and Lissa came in.

"Well, there you are" she said

I hadn't seen Lissa in a few days, and already she seemed so changed. She was wearing an AC/DC shirt and a blue flannel, definitely her girlfriend's, and smelled faintly of cigarette smoke. It suited her, somehow, the new look.

She came closer to me, looking at my face

"Oh, Brooke got you good there" her tone turned worried

"Yeah, your GF did a pretty number on me. Though I guess I kind of deserved it"

"Does it hurt?" she asked, looking at the cut on my lip

"Nothing I've never felt before" I scoffed

"So what did you guys fight about?" she asked me with a knowing glint in her eye

Shit. Well, this was just what I'd been trying to avoid.

"Oh just, you know, our mutual hatred for each other, this and that"

Lissa was slowly getting closer to me, towering over me with the few inches taller she was, her green eyes focused entirely on me.

"Oh but I _don't_ know" she said, taking a strand of my hair and twirling it around her fingers

Hold up one sec. Liss was acting kind of strange...Usually I was the handsy one and she was too shy to ever initiate things, but now, she was like, almost flirting with me?

"See, Brooke, she told me a very fascinating thing about your fight"

Of course Brooke told her about that. But god, did she really have to bring it up right now? I didn't even know what to think of it, let alone how to answer her. So I didn't.

"Listen, Rose, I was wondering if you could, well...It's been a while since we last did it" she said after a bit of silence

Her phrasing was a bit questionable, but the proposition? Hell yeah. I'd spent way too long without doing it anyway.

"Of course, Liss." I said, brushing my hair off my shoulder to clear my neck

Lissa delicately sunk her fangs into my throat, instantly overwhelming me with bliss, and I realized it was probably the first time since we'd run away that she had actually asked me first. But then I was way too out it, too busy having the time of my life, to think about it anymore.

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for reading

Okay so I'm finally back with the next chapter, and it kind of ended up being a really long one. I also took RozamarieH's advice and added an indication for each paragraph's's POV, because frankly even I was starting to get confused lol so thanks for that ! If I don't mark it at the beginning of a line break, it's because the paragraph/scene POV didn't change since the last one. Hope that made sense.

To be honest, I thought that since the two cuties kissed for real last time, this was finally going to be the point where they start dating and everything. But it's like, somehow, they had different plans? If that makes sense.

Also there's an impromptu fight scene? lol please don't take it too too seriously, it was just so fun to write, I had to add it. Plus, it kind of advances the plot so...

Oh yeah, I originally wrote Brooke as like a one time character, but I actually really liked her personality afterwards, so she's been appearing a lot. But if you're starting to get tired of her, don't worry because we're kind of reaching the end of her 'character arc', if you will.

Please don't hate Rose too much, she's just not ready to admit things yet. But soon she will be!

Also what's up with Lissa there at the end? Idk find out in the next chap ;)


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